More Than Just Survivors
by TalepieceUK
Summary: Post-virus the world is still full of half-lives and at least one immortal.  Survivors/Torchwood/Demons
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: More Than Just Survivors  
AUTHOR: Talepiece

RATING: 12cert/PG13  
PAIRING (none yet but femslash potential)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them.

CROSSOVER: Survivors/Torchwood/Demons  
CONTINUITY: Written after Survivors S1 and Torchwood S2. Naj and Al are missing, Sarah is lost. Though started long before Children Of Earth, I inadvertently pre-empted a certain character's demise (please don't send me death threats).

SUMMARY: If England is full of half-lives, surely post-virus it would still be full of them? Being immortal might help too. Jack to the rescue...  
NOTE: I really fancy Zoe Tapper so how could I not write a story with two women who look remarkably like her?

WARNING: I started this a long time ago and honestly don't know if I'll ever finish it. When I re-read the first few parts recently, I thought I'd post them here anyway; if you hate unfinished stories, read no further.

* * *

**PART ONE : The Unlucky Few.**

Galvin went first. Then it was a mad rush to Luke's place but it was already too late, his mother was dead. He died soon after. So much for the Van Helsing line; not immune to the flu virus. Mina was hoping Ruby would go too. Not for the reasons the girl would suppose - that Mina hated her and wanted rid of her - but because surviving something like this was the worst possible outcome. Survivors. The most damned of them all. Mina knew that all too well; she was an eternal survivor. And a vampire. A vampire who would revert to her natural...unnatural...state as soon as the backup power on her dialysis machine was used up.

They were still in Mina's house. Three days later. Ruby pale and exhausted with grief and fear. Mina pale and exhausted with vampire blood coursing through her veins. The battery had died the night before. She could feel it, chasing through her system, changing her. Not the sudden, agonising rush that occurred when she drank her own, unpurified blood but the long, slow dive in to the half-life.

'Ruby,' Mina eventually said, 'we have to talk.'

'Yeah, I've been thinking about that. We need to get out of here, the city's gonna be in a right state pretty soon. Somewhere out of the way. In the country, where we can live on the land.'

'Ruby. Ruby, look at me.'

Ruby turned slowly. She knew what she would see, she'd worked it out the night before, a few minutes after the lights went off on Mina's dialysis machine. Mina had said nothing, just stared off in to the void as she usually did. There had been something oddly intimate about watching her hooked up to the machine. Watching the woman cleanse herself. Like seeing Mina bathe. That thought triggered a little spark in Ruby's brain but she forced it away. Not the time. Definitely not the time.

She was looking at Mina now. Really looking at her. The teeth, the skin, the eyes. Vampire.

'They'll be some other survivors, won't there? I mean, no virus is 100% deadly, not even this one.'

'Are you suggesting I dine on what's left of the human race?' The voice too. That sexy voice that made Ruby's legs feel funny. 'What happens when they run out, Ruby?'

Ruby swallowed hard, though not entirely for the reason Mina assumed. Mina didn't seem to care either way, she just slinked across the room to stand too close to Ruby. Ruby studied the feral expression. She had a choice. There was a chance that she had a choice, anyway. She could leave now. Hope that there was enough of the good Mina left to allow her to go. She would head out of town, find other survivors.

Or she could stay with Mina. Trust that there would always be enough of the good Mina in there to keep her safe. That was the irony; she was safer from the human race with Mina than without her. But was she safer from Mina?

Ruby took a step back and yanked her shirt sleeve up. She held her arm out, her wrist hovering beneath Mina's nose. 'Here. You need blood, I have blood. Take what you need. You keep me alive, I keep you alive - how's that for a deal?'

Mina sniffed at the wrist appreciatively. Ruby tried to believe that Mina was savouring the perfume she'd bought off the market for three quid. Mina's breath tickled her skin, making the hairs stand up on her arm. Her pulse increased and Ruby knew that Mina could sense that, could feel her heartbeat through the air between them.

Mina leaned forward, her lips brushing Ruby's arm. She opened her mouth. And pulled away, spinning around suddenly.

'Ruby, I can't! You have to get out. I can't drink from you without turning you and, if I do that, you're no use to me. Besides, two vampires in the same house is not a good idea.'

'I just said, we have to get out to the country.' Ruby held up a hand to stop Mina before she could get started, 'OK, OK , I know - that wasn't the point. Here's the point: This world is going to be even harder and nastier than the one we had a few days ago. I'm not a big, bad vampire. I'm just me. I give you blood, you make sure the rest of it stays in me, not splatted across some pavement somewhere. Can you do that, Mina? Can we keep me safe?'

'From humans, yes, of course I can. From me?' Mina stared at her for a long, long time, 'I'll try. But I still can't -'

Mina stopped. Ruby had walked over to the dialysis machine and opened one of the little draws beneath it. It was filled with scalpels and needles that were sometimes needed for Galvin to open another vein for her. She watched with lusty eyes as Ruby opened a scalpel, drawing it from its packet and pulling it across her arm. Bright red blood trickled out. The smell hit Mina immediately. The warm, rich scent of it. God but that was what she needed.

Mina was at Ruby's side before the young woman could blink. She hesitated for only a moment before lifting her arm to Mina's face again. Mina shook her head with a determined motion, turning her face away, pulling her eyes from the tempting sight.

'We have to be careful. Get your blood out of you before it goes in to me.'

'I'll get a bottle or something,' Ruby offered.

'No, I'll do it. You sit down and don't waste any. Ruby?' Mina said in a gentle tone, almost her own voice, 'Are you sure? You do understand what you're doing? What you're offering me?'

'I understand. It's a deal, remember. In fact, when you've had a snack,' Ruby lifted her arm a fraction, 'we'll draw up a contract and you can sign it, In blood,' she added with a dark chuckle.

* * *

Jack sat on the floor, Ianto's lifeless body wrapped in his arms. Gwen crouched behind them, her own arms circling the two men as best she could. All three shook with Jack's sobs. He wept for hours. Far longer than Gwen, though she was mourning Rhys too. Somehow, Jack's grief seemed much worse than hers. So many lifetime's worth of grief, endlessly played out and mingling with your own endless deaths. At least Rhys had gone quickly. Poor Ianto.

Gwen had no idea how long they'd been there, slumped on the cold floor of the Hub. Suddenly, Jack was up, hefting Ianto's body in his arms and striding to the morgue. Gwen stumbled on dead legs and staggered after him. Ianto's body was laid down with such reverence, she felt the tears return to her eyes. Jack said a prayer in some language Gwen had never heard but understood all too well. Then he was closing the door on his lover's body and walking away without looking back.

'Jack?' Gwen said her own prayer for Ianto and turned to follow Jack back in to the centre of the Hub. 'Jack? What the hell are we going to do now?'

Jack stopped, spinning on his heels to glare down at her. Gwen snapped to a halt and eased back from his anger, though his eyes were far off and his ire not aimed at her. Thank god, she thought, before easing herself forward again, risking a hand on his tense arm.

'We find the bastards who did this and deal with them,' he said.

'Did this?'

'Yeah, you heard what Martha said right before,' he ground to a halt, shaking his head savagely, 'You heard what she said, someone created this virus; it was too powerful, too fast to be natural. Someone did this to them. All of them. And we're going to deal with it. For Ianto. And Martha. And Rhys. For all of them.'

Then he was off again, striding through the Hub. He went to the computers and began pounding at the keys. Gwen watched, truly afraid for the first time since this whole nightmare had begun. It had all happened too quickly, all been such a horrific blur, that she really hadn't had time to think about it. About living. About surviving. Dear God, she'd survived it. Immune. Yes. Lucky? No. Not lucky. And that thought came down on her like a weevil's claw.

'Oh God, Jack,' she hissed, her legs giving way beneath her, 'Jack, I'm still alive.'

'Yes you are, my girl,' Jack rushed to her, lifting her back to her feet, 'and I need you. I need you with me. This is what we do. We put it right. We might not be able to save all of the people. Maybe we can't save most of them this time,' he added sadly, 'but we can do what we're here to do. Come on.'

He dragged Gwen up to the computers and set her down in Tosh's old seat. Gwen felt a strange kind of relief that the young woman hadn't had to endure the virus. Not that being shot in the gut was any better, a dark voice whispered in Gwen's head. But Gwen was willing to take comfort in any way she could so she pushed the voice away.

Jack was attacking the keyboard again. 'What are you doing, Jack?'

'Setting up a repeating signal. Declaring Earth a plaque planet. That should keep most aliens away. There aren't many scavengers willing to risk this sort of death for what little technology Earth has to offer. It'll be decades before we have to worry about that.'

'You,' Gwen said in a small voice.

'We. You're a fighter, Gwen Cooper. A survivor. You're the future of the human race. God help them,' he added with a smirk.

'Hey!' and she threw a cushion at him for good measure.


	2. Chapter 2

TITLE: More Than Just Survivors  
AUTHOR: Talepiece

RATING: 12cert/PG13  
PAIRING (none yet but femslash potential)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them.

CROSSOVER: Survivors/Torchwood/Demons  
CONTINUITY: Written after Survivors S1 and Torchwood S2. Naj and Al are missing, Sarah is lost. Though started long before Children Of Earth, I inadvertently pre-empted a certain character's demise (please don't send me death threats).

SUMMARY: If England is full of half-lives, surely post-virus it would still be full of them? Being immortal might help too. Jack to the rescue...  
NOTE: I really fancy Zoe Tapper so how could I not write a story with two women who look remarkably like her?

WARNING: I started this a long time ago and honestly don't know if I'll ever finish it. When I re-read the first few parts recently, I thought I'd post them here anyway; if you hate unfinished stories, read no further.

* * *

**PART TWO : Sounds Like A Deal**

'Oh, Jack, we have to stop this. It's gone too far. You're obsessed, man!'

Jack turned on his heels and glared down at her. God but he'd had enough of her bitching. It had been weeks since she'd shut up for more than five minutes. And now they were so close, so bloody close. He'd tracked signals and communications, errant signals and ghost comms mostly but, finally, he'd found it. They'd found it. Bitching or not, Gwen Cooper was a damn fine investigator. Mind you, the helicopters had been a subtle clue.

She wasn't bad in a fist fight either. And there'd been more than a few of them. It was ugly as hell out there and Jack couldn't entirely disagree with Gwen's assessment; get back to Cardiff, back to the Hub, and hitch a lift off Earth as fast as they could. Of course, that plaque planet warning might make "as fast as they could" a bit slower but, all in all, it wasn't a bad idea.

'This is it, Gwen. This is the place. Look at it,' Jack waved his binoculars towards the building that sat low in the landscape a few miles away.

'And then what, Jack? What do we do, the two of us? Storm the place? Blow it up?'

'Stop bloody shouting?'

It was a man's voice, deep and warning, coming from behind them. Jack and Gwen shared a glance before they stated to turn. As they did, the sound of the pump-action of a shotgun rang loud in the clearing. They hesitated in their turn, rethinking their original plan as they came face to muzzle with the weapon. It was mostly aimed at Jack, which annoyed Gwen more than she could say. Though she was going to have a really good try.

'Hey! Hey, you, I'm dangerous too, you know? Bloody 'ell, do I look like some weak-willed bloody woman? I've done my share of the dirty wo-'

Gwen stopped suddenly, encouraged by the muzzle moving to aim directly at her head.

'Does she ever shut up, mate?'

'Not at the moment. I'm Jack Harkness, by the way. You?'

'Tom.'

'Tom..?'

'Yeah.'

'OK,' Jack drew out the word.

'And I'm chopped bloody liver. Oh no, wait a minute, I'm Gwen Cooper. Now get that bloody gun back on me before I charge you and knock your bloody balls in to your throat.'

'Is she having a breakdown?'

Jack shrugged, 'Had, I think. Had a breakdown. About a month ago.'

'Yeah, her and me both.'

Jack studied the man. Tall, well built - not bad looking in that rough-trade kind of way. Definite potential. The shotgun would have to go, though; they had a tendency to get in the way. Funny, thought Jack, I know this man is trouble but I'm not sure if he's trouble for us. They really needed an ally right now, especially if they were going to get within a mile of that lab.

Gwen watched Jack eyeing up Tom. Damn him, he was checking the bloke out. A great shotgun waving in his face - literally, not in some weird innuendo way - and Jack's considering his potential. Gwen forced down a moment of disgust on Ianto's part. Ianto, of course, wouldn't have felt that at all; it was just Jack, he'd have said, just the way Jack was wired. Just the way Ianto had liked him. But this really wasn't the time. This was so not the time. Focus, she screamed in her head and Jack seemed to hear it because he straightened up again, his gaze clearing, his eyes holding Tom's.

'We're trying to get in there,' Jack indicated the lab complex, 'Don't suppose you know how?'

Tom hesitated, studying them both carefully. The shotgun wavered, the muzzle drooping slightly. 'Why?'

'You know what that place is?' Tom shrugged and Gwen decided to go for broke, 'That place is where all this horror started. That place is ground zero. No, worse than ground zero; it's Frankenstein's bloody Lab.'

'It's where they made the virus,' Jack said.

'Yeah, mate, I got that part.' Tom studied them for moments more. This could be some elaborate trap but he very much doubted it; these two had been arguing for months, if not longer. And he believed them, believed Gwen's anger and outrage, believed the cold steel in the bloke's eyes. It would explain a few things too, explain the SWAT team and the helicopters. Some sort of government facility. Maybe some big corporation that pushed its research too far. Made sense. And now they were covering their arses. And Abby was, as far as Tom could work out, the only one of them who had got sick and survived. No natural immunity, just a strong constitution, as his mother would have said. 'You serious?'

'You know we are,' Jack said.

The shotgun was up again and Jack had a moment of doubt, wondering if he'd misread the man's shifting expression. 'You two are pros, ain't you? Not coppers,' he turned to Jack, 'well, not you. You,' to Gwen, 'I'm not so sure about. Anyway. You've got something about you and I might need that.' The muzzle indicated a half-hidden path leading away from the clearing, 'Come on. Nice and easy, let's go for a walk.'

* * *

Ruby slumped down in the front seat of the car. The upside of all this was that she'd finally learned to drive. Cool. Of course, Mina's limo had had to go; way too much of a gas-guzzler. They were in a clapped-out old fiesta now. Oh the glamour.

Mina slept in the back seat, curled up like a cub in a den. The windows were carefully blacked out, protecting her from the sun's rays. Ruby shifted in her seat and stared down at the woman who had alternately saved and scared her for the past few months. Somehow their arrangement had worked. Mina had protected Ruby, kept her safe from the thugs who seemed to have survived in a far greater ratio than the decent human beings. Protected her from the half-lives who were having a field day out there, making the most of their newfound freedoms. And protected Ruby from Mina herself; leaving when the strain of fighting her own nature was too much, when the bloodlust grew too strong.

In return, Ruby had almost drained herself dry. She glanced down at her arm, partially exposed at the end of her cardigan. Her skin was laced with scars, her arm red and swollen. The other one was just as bad. They'd tried putting in a tap but Ruby had hated it so much that it had to come out. She just sliced her skin and watched the blood escaping her. Mina had watched too, at first. Then she'd stopped. Ruby had thought that she was having trouble holding back her desire for the liquid. Now she wondered; had Mina grown to care for her enough to be upset at the sight of the bleeding? Could a vampire grow to care about someone more than she had as a human?

Ruby shook the thoughts away - did it really matter? Ruby was weak and exhausted. She needed a few days off to let her body recover. Just her luck that they'd run out of idiot thugs for Mina to feed on when she needed it most.

They'd been trailing around the country, staying away from urban areas as much as they could but going anywhere that might have a blood bank. Hospitals at first, then labs; more chance of them having sufficient backup power to keep the blood cool and therefore clean. Bad blood did very bad things to Mina. They'd learned that the hard way. Ruby shivered at the memory.

But the supplies were running out. And so was Ruby. They'd heard stories, tales of some huge facility that was still open, still active. They'd followed the rumours and now they seemed to be close. The more Ruby heard, the less she liked the idea of going anywhere near the place but she couldn't deny that they needed to find it. A fresh supply of blood. Maybe even somewhere warm and clean to stay for a few days. A bath. Ruby would give what was left of her blood for a warm bath.

Mina stirred but dosed on. Ruby smiled, reaching back to pull the thin cover up to Mina's shoulder. She was one of a handful of survivors of a plaque that had all but wiped out the human race. She was traveling with a vampire. A vampire who she was carefully feeding almost every day. She was cold, weak and terrified. And trying to catch forty winks in an old Fiesta. This was not how Ruby had expected her life to turn out.

They were getting further away from their own car, further away from their kit. Gwen wasn't happy about that but Jack didn't seem to be bothered at all. He was just ambling along beside Tom. Jack was probably right, Gwen thought; she'd had a breakdown about a month ago. It had all been a bit much. She sniggered at the understatement and flashed an innocent look at the men when they stared back at her.

'She alright?'

Jack shrugged, 'Maybe. Yes. Well,' he shrugged again, 'she will be. We just need some sort of closure.'

'And that would be?'

'That lab, I want it gone. I want everyone in there dead.'

Tom slowed, staring at Jack in surprise. 'You're not kidding, are you? You want to, what, nuke the place?'

'Nuke would be good,' Jack said, still strolling along, 'Or otherwise blow up. I'm not fussy.'

'That's true,' Gwen said as she walked past Tom.

He jogged to catch up with them, pointing them in the right direction with the muzzle of his shotgun. These too were barking. A big Yank in an old RAF uniform and a Welsh woman who kept laughing to herself. He should have shot the both of them when he had the chance. But now he was intrigued - now he believed them. The big Yank meant it about that Lab.

'You can't blow it up, nukes or not. I won't let you.'

Jack stopped on the spot, turning to cast a deadly gaze at Tom. He squared his shoulders and stared right back.

'Why not?' Gwen said, ignoring the posturing, 'Just why are you here?'

'They took my friend. Abby. A SWAT team, black kit, big guns, the lot. They drove up in a van and took her. I wasn't there,' he hesitated, angry with himself, 'and the others couldn't stop them.'

'Others?'

'Yeah, there's a few of us. I should kill you both now; you know too much.'

'Then why don't you?' Gwen said.

Tom looked at her, 'Because you might be a nutter and he might be a queer but I reckon you know what you're doing. You help me get Abby out of there and I'll help you blow the place sky high.'

'Sounds like a deal,' Jack said and off he went again.


	3. Chapter 3

TITLE: More Than Just Survivors  
AUTHOR: Talepiece

RATING: 12cert/PG13  
PAIRING (none yet but femslash potential)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them.

CROSSOVER: Survivors/Torchwood/Demons  
CONTINUITY: Written after Survivors S1 and Torchwood S2. Naj and Al are missing, Sarah is lost. Though started long before Children Of Earth, I inadvertently pre-empted a certain character's demise (please don't send me death threats).

SUMMARY: If England is full of half-lives, surely post-virus it would still be full of them? Being immortal might help too. Jack to the rescue...  
NOTE: I really fancy Zoe Tapper so how could I not write a story with two women who look remarkably like her?

WARNING: I started this a long time ago and honestly don't know if I'll ever finish it. When I re-read the first few parts recently, I thought I'd post them here anyway; if you hate unfinished stories, read no further.

* * *

**PART THREE : Spacial Genetic Multiplicity**

They were hiding out in a house a little way from the clearing. It was far enough from the lab to be relatively safe but close enough for them to keep an eye on things. Jack and Gwen greeted Anya with smiles but the young woman glared at Tom in response.

'Who the hell are they?'

'Friends,' Jack said, his hands open in a calming gesture.

'We've had a few of them recently.'

'He's Jack Harkness, I'm Gwen Copper. And your friend there doesn't look so good.'

The sofa that was pushed up against the far wall of the room was occupied by a tall, black man. His body shivered under a pile of heavy blankets. His watery eyes opened and he managed a smile at Gwen. She smiled back and approached him, having to sidestep Anya on the way.

''Ello. You look rough,' she said as she settled on her knees beside him.

'Felt better. Been shot.'

'Yeah, I know what that feels like. Here, Jack,' she said over her shoulder,' you still have those antibiotics?' Jack rummaged through the pockets of his great coat. 'Any time this month, Jack, no rush.' Gwen shared another smile with Greg. His dark skin was sheened with sweat, his breathing sounded nasty.

Jack finally turned up a small strip of pills. He'd been carrying them around with him since Gwen had got a deep cut to her face in a fight. The other bloke's cut had been much deeper. And far lower. Jack suppressed the urge to wince. He made to hand the strip over to Gwen but Anya snatched it from his grasp.

She studied the packet carefully, unwilling to accept that they were genuine. Things had been so hard lately. Hard ever since that afternoon when the first flu symptoms had started to show up in A&E. But they just kept getting worse and worse. She didn't even hope for a break now, just didn't believe it was possible that something would go right for them. That things could get better. So these people must be trouble; everyone else had been.

'I believe them,' Tom said, 'They're freaks but they're alright.'

Gwen stretched up to snatch the antibiotics from Anya's hand. 'Now then, Mr Been Shot. Take these and tell me all about it. I'm Gwen Copper, by the way, very nice to meet you.'

'Greg,' he said around the tablets that Gwen was pushing between his lips. 'And that's Anya and Tom.'

'OK. Not big on surnames but, then, I suppose they're not very important any more, are they? Here,' Gwen reached out for the glass of water that sat on the table close by, 'down the hatch.'

She eased Greg's head forward so he could take the tablets, then carefully laid his head down again. She tried to get a look at his shoulder but could only see the large off-white bandage that showed clear of his opened shirt. It looked like it had been applied by a professional, certainly better than her First Aid skills could manage.

'One of you a Doctor?'

Anya started, 'I am,' she said before she could stop herself.

'Nice job that. Here, Jack, look; nice job.'

Jack leaned over Gwen's head, 'Very nice. You don't have any meds?'

'I used up everything we had when he was shot,' Anya said. She couldn't quite believe she was letting these people take over so easily. Just letting them step in to their lives and start issuing orders. But there was something about being told what to do, about not having to think for yourself. It was like it had been before the virus; everything in its place. Everyone in their place. And there was something commanding about these two. Not just the big America in the huge coat but about the woman too - they knew what they were doing. It was the first time in months that Anya had met anyone who genuinely seemed to know what the hell was going on.

Tom stepped up to her and put a hesitant arm around her shoulder, 'They're OK. I'm sure of that. This one,' he indicated Jack, 'wants to blow that Lab up but he's promised to help us get Abby out first. This one,' pointing to Gwen, 'is a bit of a nutter but, right now, I reckon we need one of them too.'

'Glad to be of service. Jack?' Gwen said, 'we're gonna need more meds.'

'You have more?' Anya said.

'Back at the car,' Jack said, adding, 'Weapons too. I'll go get them now.'

'Not now, you won't; there are patrols out there at this time of day. Leave it 'til later. There's enough there for now, isn't there?' Tom indicated the packet that Gwen had tossed beside the glass on the table.

'Plenty for now,' Anya said.

Jack heaved off his great coat, 'Later then. Right now, any chance of a cup of tea?'

* * *

It was darkening, the twilight giving way to the darker night, but the moon was full. Jack, Tom and Anya had found the Torchwood Land Rover, freeing it from the camouflage that Jack and Gwen had given it and driving back towards the house.

There had been an interesting discussion about the fuel economy of the large vehicle and how Jack and Gwen could keep it running.

'Biofuels?' Tom said.

'Not exactly.'

Jack insisted on stopping at the clearing to get another look at the Lab's surrounds. They stood there in the moonlight. Tom using Jack's binoculars to study the compound, Anya watching Jack suspiciously. He was using his bracelet to take readings of the area. It was too far away to be really useful but anything they could learn would help.

'We'll need to get closer, have a real look,' he said.

'I've got an idea about that,' Tom said.

He made to elaborate but stopped suddenly. Jack's eyes widened and he gave a faint nod. Anya stared at the two men, her own senses picking something up. Jack edged backwards, closer to the treeline. His hand shot out and there was a yelp from behind him. He pulled forward and a figure stumbled out of their hiding place. Jack held the figure by the scruff of the neck, its feet dangling a few inches above the ground.

'Hey!' the figure squeaked, 'Let me down you big lug!' Jack eased the body down and she shook out her dark hair, big eyes coming to stare at Jack's smiling face. 'And what are you grinning at? You could have,' she stopped as Jack's hand raised a little.

'Who the hell are you?' Tom said.

'I'm Ruby. And you really don't want to hurt me; I have a very scary friend.'

'Me too,' Jack said, indicating Tom who had already raised the shotgun.

'Not gun-scary. Trust me,' Ruby's eyes flashed over Tom with disdain, 'guns haven't been scary for quite a while. I should probably -'

Ruby stopped suddenly. She blinked in the darkness. The moonlight flooded the clearing, making it easy to see the other figures. The man with the gun wasn't as scary as he wanted to be but the woman that stood off to his side - now that was freaky. Ruby hurried across the clearing, coming to stand directly in front of Anya. Tom made to move to protect her but Jack held him back, intrigued by the expression on the girl's face. She was staring at Anya. Staring with an intensity that Jack had rarely seen. A hand reached out, visibly shaking, and moved towards Anya's face.

'What do you think you're doing?' Anya said.

And Ruby fainted.

The three of them stared down at her for a long moment before reacting. Anya dropped to her knees and laid the girl out carefully, checking her pulse.

'She's alive, just fainted,' Anya said to Jack and Tom as they joined her.

'What the hell's that?' Tom indicated Ruby's arm with a flick of his head.

'She's a cutter,' Anya said.

'No,' Jack's head was up again, his senses alert, 'I think she might be a feeder.'

And then Mina was at Tom's side, ripping the shotgun from his grasp and tossing it away. Then at Jack's back, a sharp elbow sending him to his knees. Then behind Anya, arm wrapped around her chest, teeth bared and aimed directly at her jugular.

'Easy, easy,' Jack said. He winced at the pain in his back but kept his eyes on Mina. The woman carried her age well. Over a hundred, Jack thought absently. He'd met his share of vampires - on Earth and off it - and you learned to read them. This one wasn't attacking, she was defending. Definitely a feeder. 'Your friend fainted. Nothing else. She got a bit of a shock. Look. No, not at me, at her,' Jack nodded towards Anya, 'Take a good look at her.'

Mina hesitated. Her bloodlust roared in her ears. God but she wanted to feed on these three. But there was an honesty about the big man's eyes, an understanding. Mina very carefully relaxed her grip on Anya's body. And felt herself being thrown forward. The foolish woman was fighting her. The two women struggled together for a moment before all movement stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

Anya stared at Mina, her hands raised and ready to strike at the other woman. Mina stared at Anya, her teeth bared, mouth wide and aimed at Anya's throat.

Jack took the opportunity to stand up, stretching his back as he did so. He waved Tom back, discouraging him from raising the shotgun that he had just retrieved. They really didn't need any more aggression right now. At their feet, Ruby stirred. She blinked in the moonlight and stared up at the two women who squared off above her. Ruby seriously considered fainting again, it seemed the only viable option. Instead, she pushed herself upright, wiping her hands on her jeans when she was confident that she could stay on her feet. She looked from one woman to the other, the two men forgotten.

Even Tom's, 'What the hell is going on here?' went ignored by the women. He pumped the shotgun and aimed it at Mina's head.

Jack eased an arm out and pushed the muzzle down firmly, 'You can't kill her.'

'Why not?'

'Because she's already dead.'

Ruby didn't hear any of it. She was staring from one woman to the other. She paused, considering a few jokes but discarding them all. Her head went from Mina to Anya and back again one last time. She reached out a hand, no-longer shaking, and placed it on Mina's chest.

'Mina? Mina, look at me.' Ruby waited for the wide, greedy eyes to turn to her. They changed immediately, growing more human. 'I think we should talk to them before you do anything; this is a bit interesting, isn't it?' Ruby waited until Mina offered a small nod of agreement before turning to Anya, 'You couldn't take her down, trust me. Much better that we all have a nice chat and laugh about this later.'

Anya's fist slowly uncurled, her arm falling to her side but her eyes never left Mina's face. Jack grinned and stepped forward.

'Well now, that really is interesting. Perhaps we should get back to the house and talk there?'

'No way are we taking these freaks back with us,' Tom said.

Jack glanced back at him, 'Now, Tom, is that any way to talk about a woman who could rip you to shreds in a heartbeat? Anya. Anya? Anya! Good, why don't we all just move along. The car is this way.'

It was an uncomfortable drive. Not that the Land Rover wasn't big enough to accommodate five people under normal circumstances. Just that the circumstances weren't normal. Tom was in the front with Jack, though his neck was twisted round so far to look out for Anya that he was close to doing permanent damage. Ruby sat in the back, between Mina and Anya. It was very quiet. Jack just grinned. Four sets of eyes stared at him but he ignored them and pulled the vehicle in to the open door of the house's large garage. There was plenty of room for everyone to tumble out of the Land Rover and they did so as quickly as they could. Jack slammed the driver's door and strode out of the garage.

'You four coming?'

Gwen turned away from Greg when they heard the front door open. She tensed, reaching for the handgun that she had left on the floor beside the sofa. Greg raised a brow. There was no noise save the footsteps. More footsteps than there should be. Gwen stood, taking up a firm stance, raising the gun to sight it along her arms and at the door.

The door opened. And Jack's bulk entered the room. Gwen breathed easy, lowering the handgun. It flicked up again when two strangers entered after him and wavered dangerously when she got a good look at the second one.

'Blood, 'ell, Jack, what's all this then?'

'Spacial genetic multiplicity.'

'That's what the Doctor said about me. Just what is it then?'

'It's exactly this,' he said with a grin. 'Now,' Jack turned to Ruby, 'time for the formal introductions, don't you think?'


	4. Chapter 4

TITLE: More Than Just Survivors  
AUTHOR: Talepiece

RATING: 12cert/PG13  
PAIRING (none yet but femslash potential)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them.

CROSSOVER: Survivors/Torchwood/Demons  
CONTINUITY: Written after Survivors S1 and Torchwood S2. Naj and Al are missing, Sarah is lost. Though started long before Children Of Earth, I inadvertently pre-empted a certain character's demise (please don't send me death threats).

SUMMARY: If England is full of half-lives, surely post-virus it would still be full of them? Being immortal might help too. Jack to the rescue...  
NOTE: I really fancy Zoe Tapper so how could I not write a story with two women who look remarkably like her?

WARNING: I started this a long time ago and honestly don't know if I'll ever finish it. When I re-read the first few parts recently, I thought I'd post them here anyway; if you hate unfinished stories, read no further.

* * *

**PART FOUR : Funny How...**

Funny how, just when you decided things couldn't get any weirder, they always did. Some sort of cosmic joke, Ruby assumed. She glanced down at the man who was convalescing on the sofa. He was staring at her with kind eyes. Kinder than the other people, especially the man with the shotgun.

'I'm Ruby. This is Mina.'

Jack waited for her to say more but Ruby just looked at him. He clapped his hands together, 'Right. Well, I'm Jack and this is my friend Gwen. These good people are Tom, Greg and - most interesting of all - Anya.'

'How does she..?'

'Spacial -'

'Genetic multiplicity. Yes, I heard that,' Ruby said, 'but how?'

Jack shrugged, 'No-one knows. Complete mystery. One of the wonders of the universe.'

'Universe. Jeez, could this get any more screwed up?' Tom said. He still had a firm grip on the shotgun and he was seriously considering using it, no matter what Jack said. 'Let's test out this can't-be-killed theory you have.'

Mina was on him before he'd had time to lift the shotgun from his side. Her teeth were at his neck, their tips pressing in to his skin almost to the point of breaking through.

'Oi, Jack, she's a vampire,' Gwen said.

'Vampire,' Anya said. She shook her head wildly. Funny how, just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, they invariably did. Now she was trapped in a house with four crazies. Five, if you counted Tom. 'Vampire?'

'You must have noticed, especially since the virus. There are a few humans still out there but there's a lot more other things,' Gwen said.

'I don't know,' Ruby shook her head sadly, 'you'd be amazed what people don't see when they don't want to.'

Gwen smiled at her, 'You're not wrong there. You should sit down, by the way, you're about out on your feet'

Gwen eased Ruby on to the end of the sofa. Greg smiled at her. His eyes were still watery but his skin was less sweat-soaked and closer to its natural colour. He seemed to be taking it all more calmly than the other two.

'Any chance this vampire,' Tom said the word doubtfully, 'could get the hell off my neck?'

'Mina,' Ruby said, 'Mina, please.'

Mina was by Ruby's side in a second. Tom crumbled, tumbling back in to the wall behind him. He stared at Mina with hard eyes. He didn't care if this vampire stuff was real or not; he just didn't like to be made a fool. Dead or not, he'd find a way to pay the bitch back.

'You know,' Gwen said conversationally, 'there's a theory that vampires can hear an enemy's thoughts.'

Ruby turned to Gwen, opening her mouth to say that she had never heard that theory and it wasn't true anyway. She stopped, clamping her lips shut when she saw the humour in Gwen's eyes.

'Wouldn't know; I'm not Mina's enemy,' she said with a surprisingly straight face.

Tom muttered something in a dark tone and turned on his heels. He slammed the door shut behind him and his heavy steps could be heard up the staircase and on the floor above them.

'Please excuse Tom,' Greg spoke for the first time, 'he's a little highly strung.'

'You believe us?' Ruby said.

Greg managed a shrug, though it caused a flash of pain to cross his features. 'I've seen some things. Anya?'

She shrugged too, 'I worked in a hospital; I saw lots of things.' People with their blood drained to the last drop, people with their throats ripped from their necks. People with injuries that just couldn't be explained. 'I'm feeling really tired right now,' she added.

'Then sit down. Ruby, you need to rest too,' Jack said. He walked over to them, hands out at his side, steps slow and even, his eyes never leaving Mina's gaze. 'You need to feed and I don't think Ruby can help you right now.' There was no accusation in his tone but he saw the guilt in Mina's eyes. 'She must be pretty amazing,' Jack indicated Ruby with a tilt of his head, 'To offer to feed you like that, it's quite a thing. But you need to feed so I'd suggest you take me.' He was in front of her now, his bigger frame looming above the small woman but his posture remained deliberately unthreatening.

Mina watched as Jack turned his head to the side, offering her his neck. She hesitated before moving forward.

'You can't!' Ruby said, bouncing up from her seat, 'You need to get the blood out of you, then in to her. Otherwise,' she trailed off.

'Otherwise?' Anya said.

'Otherwise anyone else would be turned too,' Gwen said, 'But that's not a problem for Jack. Is it, Jack?' she said with sudden doubt.

'Not a problem for me, no. Go ahead,' he pushed his body forward a little more, offering himself to Mina, 'Feed all you like. Trust me.'

Mina hesitated a moment more before lunging at his neck. Her fangs pressed deep in to his flesh and she drank greedily. He tasted different, different from any human she'd ever fed off, but he tasted good. She drank more deeply.

'Oh my god,' Anya said and turned away.

Ruby watched for a moment before she had to turn away too. Not from revulsion but from a tight feeling that she didn't want to identify as jealousy. Gwen shepherded them both back to the sofa and settled them down with Greg, making sure they were looking away. That didn't save them from the sounds, though, and Gwen was just about to suggest that the pair of them got a room when it stopped suddenly. There was a heavy thump as Jack's body hit the floor. Mina stared down at him before turning and running from the room. She hadn't even been able to look at Ruby.

Gwen fussed around Jack's body, drying the last few drops from his neck and settling his arms comfortably over his chest. She pulled the great coat around him and sat back against the sofa. And waited in silence. The others didn't talk either. Greg dosed fitfully. Ruby stared at Jack and Anya stared at nothing. The few times Ruby glanced at her, she noticed just how much like Mina the woman looked. Like the old Mina, the blind Mina who stared off in to nothing because there was nothing she could see. This woman was staring in to nothing because there was nothing that she wanted to see and Ruby had a feeling that Anya had felt like that long before she and Mina had entered her life.

Only once did Anya speak, to ask, 'Shouldn't we do something with the body?'

'Oh don't worry about Jack,' Gwen had said, her palm thumping down on Jack's chest, 'He'll come right in the end.'

Then the silence had resumed and Anya had pulled even further in to herself.

There was a sudden gasp, a loud inhale that filled the room, then Jack was sitting up and looking around him. He smiled at Gwen's concern and dispelled it with a wink. Gwen rolled her eyes at him and waited. There was something going to happen, something that was probably not going to be much fun for her. She'd seen that look on his face a few times after he'd returned to the land of the living; Jack had been thinking while he was dead and he'd come up with a plan.

'Where are Tom and Mina?'

'Tom's still upstairs stomping about,' Gwen hitched her chin upward, 'and Mina's...'

'She'll be back, don't worry,' Ruby said.

'Good,' Jack sprang to his feet, great coat billowing around him, 'We're gonna need them because I have a plan.'

Jack slapped his hands together and laughed. Funny how, just when you needed things to go right, the right people turned up to help you.


End file.
